Underwater weapon



F. V. LIBERATORE UNDERWATER WEAPON Filed Jan. 2 1964 Oct. 12, 1965 M W m mum NM Frank 1 L/berafore IN VENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,210,877 UNDERWATER WEAPON Frank V. Liberatore, 592 Crescent St., Brooklyn 8, N.Y. Filed Jan. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 335,233 8 Claims. (Cl. 421) This invention relates to a novel and useful underwater weapon and more specifically to a shaft head adapted to be secured to the forward end of a conventional spear shaft or the like in lieu of the conventional spearhead therefor and to provide a means for firing loaded shell upon impact of the shaft head with the target.

The shaft head comprises a base portion adapted to be secured to the forward end of the spear shaft and includes a shank portion extending forwardly from the base with barrel defining means slidably disposed on the shank portion and defining a shell receiving chamber into which the forward end of the shank portion of the base is receivable, the shank portion of the base including means defining a firing pin for striking the primer of a shell disposed in the barrel member.

The underwater weapon of the instant invention is designed primarily as a defensive weapon against sharks and other large fish. Further, it is of such dimensions so as to be readily adaptable to be fired from a conventional spear gun and is adapted to fire different types of explosive shells but is primarily adapted to handle shotgun shells.

The underwater weapon of the instant invention is not designed for use in the manner in which a rifle or shotgun is used, that being killing the target with the bullet or shot fired therefrom. On the other hand, the under water weapon is designed to be fired upon impact of the muzzle end of the bore member thereof with the target, the subsequent firing of a shotgun shell within the barrel of the underwater weapon resulting in puncturing of the target with the bullet or shot and the subsequent discharge of the propellant gases into the target through the puncture or punctures formed by the bullet or shot. It is the discharge of the propellant charge into a large fish such as a shark which is most effective in killing the latter.

The main object of this invention is to provide an underwater defensive weapon which may be effectively utilized .to kill large fish such as sharks almost immediately upon use of the weapon, the sharks and other large fish being extremely dangerous to underwater swimmers if only wounded.

Another object of this invention is to provide an underwater weapon in the form of a shaft head adapted to be secured to the forward end of a conventional underwater spear gun shaft and having a frontal area approximately the same as a conventional spearhead thereby enabling a conventional spear shaft provided with the shaft head of the instant invention to be fired from a spear gun in the conventional manner.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an underwater weapon in accordance with the immediately preceding object comprising a shaft head adapted to fire a shotgun shell or the like upon impact of the shaft head with the target, the concussion of the discharge or firing of the shotgun shell normally being directed away from the user of the underwater weapon and therefore not injurious to the user.

Another object of this invention is to provide a shaft head of the aforementioned type which is also adapted to be secured to the head end of a hand spear and thereby usable in close quarters.

A further object of this invention is to provide a shaft head for firing a shotgun shell and the like including recoil means whereby a majority of the recoil of the por- 3,210,877 Patented Oct. 12, 1965 tion of the shaft head supporting the shotgun shell will not be fully transmitted to the portion of a hand spear held by the user.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a shaft head in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively troublefree in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional form of underwater spear shaft shown with the shaft head of the instant invention operatively mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 with portions of the tethering chain connecting the barrel assembly to the remainder of the shaft head being broken away; and

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon a plane indicated by the section line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally designates a conventional form of spear shaft which could either be a spear shaft adapted to be fired from an underwater spear gun or a hand spear.

The numeral 12 generally designates the shaft head of the instant invention and it may be seen from FIGURE 2 of the drawing that the shaft head 12 comprises a base member or mounting sleeve 14 having a blind bore 16 formed in one end thereof which tightly andtelescopically receives the forward end of the spear shaft 10. It is to be understood that the base or mounting sleeve 14 may be secured to the shaft 10 in any convenient manner.

The forward end of the base 14 includes a shank 18 having a diametrically reduced forward end portion 20. The free end of the forward end portion 20 has a threaded blind bore 21 formed therein and a block body defining a sleeve 22 is slidably and rotatably disposed on the forward end portion 20. The breach block body or sleeve 22 includes a diametrically reduced forward end portion 24 having a plurality of threaded splines 26 formed there- 'on. A barrel assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 28 includes a diametrically reduced barrel end 30 and a diametrically enlarged base end 32. The barrel assembly 30 has a longitudinal bore 34 formed therethrough and the diametrically enlarged base end 32 has a diametrically enlarged counterbore 36 formed therein. The counterbore 36 is provided with threaded splines 38 and the forward end portion 24 and its threaded splines 26 are axially receivable in the blind bore 36. The area of the counterbore 36 disposed forwardly of the forward end 24 and rearwardly of the innermost end of the counterbore 36 defines a shell receiving chamber 40 for receiving the shotgun shell 42. The shotgun shell 42 is substantially entirely received within the bore 34 but its seating flange 44 is disposed within the chamber 40 and abuts against the shoulder 46 defined by the inner end of the counterbore 26, the forward end of the forward end portion 24 abutting against the rear face of the shell 42.

A stop ring or sleeve 51) is disposed on the shank portion 18 and is rotatably and axially shiftable thereon. A strong compression spring 52 1s disposed between the con fronting ends of. the stopring50 and the breach block body or sleeve 22 and yieldingly urges the sleeve 22 forwardly away from the stop ring 50.

A firing pin head 52 which has a point 54 thereon for engagement with the primer (not shown) of the shotgun shell 42 includes a diametrically reduced threaded shank portion 56 which is threadedly engaged in the threaded bore 21. The head 52 is snugly received within a diametrically enlarged counterbore 58 formed in the forward end of the threaded bore 21 and a lock washer 59 or the like is disposed about the shank portion 56 immediately to the rear of the head 52 and abuts the forward end of the forward end portion 20. The diametrically enlarged head 52 therefore limits forward movement of the breach block body relative to the shank portion 18 and it may therefore be seen that the point 54 of the head 52 is normally yieldingly urged rearwardly away from the shotgun shell 42. However, upon impact of the forward end of the barrel assembly 28 with a target, the inertia of the shaft 10 and the components of the head 12 disposed to the rear of the breach block body or sleeve 22 will cause the head 52 to move forward into engagement with the base of the shell 42 and the point 54 to strike the primer (not shown) for discharging the shell 42.

The diametrically enlarged base end 32 is provided with a circumferential groove 60 and the breach block body or sleeve 22 is also provided with a circumferential groove referred to by the reference numeral 62. The grooves 60 and 62 rotatably receive a pair of rings 64 and 66 respectively and each of the rings 64 and 66 includes an eye member 68 to which one end of a chain 70 is secured.

In operation, when it is desired to load the head 12, the barrel assembly 28 is rotated to a position shifting the threaded splines 26 and 38 out of engagement with each other in which position the barrel assembly 28 may then be axially withdrawn from the forward end of the forward end portion 24. Then, a shotgun shell 42 is inserted into the rear end of the bore 34 with its seatin flange 44 abutting against the shoulder 46. Then, the barrel assembly 28 is advanced axially upon the breach block body or sleeve 22 so as to receive the forward end portion 24 in the counterbore 34 with the forward end face of the forward end portion 24 abutting against the rear face of the shell 42. Then, the barrel assembly 28 may be rotated relative to the forward end portion 24 so as to cam the front face of the forward end portion 24 into final seated engagement with the rear face of the shell 42. With the shotgun shell 42 thus loaded in the head 12, sufficient impact of the forward end of the barrel assembly 28 with the target will cause the point 54 to strike the primer (not shown) of the shotgun shell 42 and the discharge of the shotgun shell 42. The chain 70 will, of course, prevent the barrel assembly 28 from being dropped and being lost should it become necessary to load the head 12 beneath the water.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An underwater weapon comprising a shaft head adapted to be secured to the forward end of a conventional spear shaft or the like in lieu of the conventional spear head therefor and to fire a loaded shell upon impact of the shaft head with a target, said shaft head comprising base means including front and rear ends and adapted to be secured, at its rear end, to the forward end of a spear shaft, the front end of said base means including a shank portion extending forwardly from said base means, elongated barrel means including front and rear ends and defining a shot bore opening outwardly of the front end thereof and a shell receiving chamber opening outwardly of the rear end thereof, sleeve means reciprocal on said shank portion and including a forward end removably secured in the rear end of said shell receiving chamber slidably mounting said barrel means on said shank portion, adapted to retain a shell captive in said chamber, and with the forward end of said shank portion being directly communicated with said chamber, the forward end of said shank portion including means defining a firing pin for striking the primer of a shell disposed in said chamber upon rearward movement of said barrel means relative to said base means.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said sleeve means defines means coacting with said shank portion establishing a limit of movement of said barrel means in each direction of its movement along said shank portion, and means operatively connected between said sleeve means and said shank portion yieldingly urging said sleeve means toward its forwardmost position on said shank portion.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the forward end of said sleeve means is splined and externally threaded, said barrel means shot bore including a diametrically enlarged threaded and splined counterbore at its rear end into which said shank portion is removably secured and defining said shell receiving chamber into which is adapted to project the base end of a shell disposed in the rear end of said bore, the forward end of said sleeve means being adapted to abut against the base of said shell when the forward end of said sleeve means is secured in said counterbore.

4. An underwater weapon comprising a shaft head adapted to be secure-d to the forward end of a conventional spear shaft or the like in lieu of the conventional spear head therefor and to fire a loaded shell upon impact of the shaft head with a target, said shaft head comprising base means including front and rear ends and adapted to be secured, at its rear end, to the forward end of a spear shaft, the front end of said base means including a shank portion extending forwardly from said base means, barrel means including front and rear ends and defining a shot bore opening outwardly at the front end thereof and a shell receiving chamber opening outwardly of the rear end thereof, means mounting the rear end of said barrel means on said shank portion for reciprocation therealong, the forward end of said shank portion being directly communicated with said chamber, the forward end of said shank portion including means defining a firing pin for striking the primer of a shell disposed in said chamber upon rearward movement of said barrel means relative to said base means, said means mounting said barrel means on said shank portion comprising a sleeve portion reciprocable on said shank portion and having its forward end splined and externally threaded, said barrel means shot bore including a diametrically enlarged threaded and splined counterbore at its rear end into which said shank portion may be removably secured and defining said shell receiving chamber into which is adapted to project the base end of a shell disposed in the rear end of said bore, the forward end of said sleeve portion being adapted to abut against the base of said shell when the forward end of said sleeve portion is secured in said counterbore, said sleeve including a diametrically enlarged counterbore at its forward end, a diametrically enlarged head removably secured on the forward end of said shank portion and disposed in the last-mentioned counterbore retaining said sleeve on said shank portion and defining said firing pin.

5. The combination of claim 4 including a stop ring on said shank portion between said base and said sleeve, and a coil spring disposed on said shank portion between said stop ring and said sleeve yieldingly urging said sleeve forwardly on said shank portion.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein the forward end of said sleeve means is splined and externally threaded, said barrel means shot bore including a diametrically enlarged threaded and splined counterbore at its rear end into which said shank portion is removably secured and defining said shell receiving chamber into which is adapted to project the base end of a shell disposed in the rear end of said bore, the forward end of said sleeve means being adapted to abut against the base of said shell when the forward end of said sleeve means is secured in said counterbore, said sleeve and barrel means each having a circumferential groove formed in its outer surface, a retaining ring rotatably received in each of said grooves, and an elongated flexible tethering member having its opposite end portions secured to said rings.

7. An underwater Weapon comprising a shaft head adapted to be secured to the forward end of a conventional spear shaft or the like in lieu of the conventional spear head therefor and to fire a loaded shell upon impact of the shaft head with a target, said shaft head comprising base means including front and rear ends and adapted to be secured, at its rear end, to the forward end of a a spear shaft, the front end of said base means including a shank portion extending forwardly from said base means, elongated barrel means including front and rear ends and defining a shot bore opening outwardly of the front end thereof and a shell receiving chamber opening outwardly of the rear end thereof, means mounting the rear end of said barrel means on said shank portion for reciprocation therealong, the forward end of said shank portion being directly communicated with said chamber, :the forward end of said shank portion including means defining a firing pin for striking the primer of a shell disposed in said chamber upon rearward movement of said barrel means relative to said base means, said means mounting said barrel means on said shank portion comprising a sleeve portion reciprocable on said shank portion and having its forward end splined and externally threaded, said barrel means shot bore including a diametrically enlarged threaded and splined counterbore at its rear end into which said shank portion may be removably secured and defining said shell receiving chamber into which is adapted to project the base end of a shell disposed in the rear end of said bore, the forward end of said sleeve being adapted to abut against the base of said shell when the forward end of said sleeve is secured in said counterbore, said sleeve and barrel means each having a circumferential groove formed in its outer surface, a retaining ring rotatably received in each of said grooves, and an elongated flexible tethering member having its opposite end portions secured to said rings, said sleeve including a diametrically enlarged counterbore at its forward end, a diametrically enlarged head removably secured on the forward end of said shank portion and disposed in the last-mentioned counterbore retaining said sleeve on said shank portion and defining said firing pin.

8. The combination of claim 7 including a stop ring on said shank portion between said base and said sleeve, and a coil spring disposed on said shank portion between said stop ring and said sleeve yieldingly urging said sleeve forwardly on said shank portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,365,870 1/21 Temple 421 2,659,273 11/53 Trautmann 42-1 2,888,768 6/59 Taylor 89-1 2,970,399 2/61 Frohlich et al. 43--6 3,145,494 8/64 Willcox et al. 42-1 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN UNDERWATER WEAPON COMPRISING A SHAFT HEAD ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE FORWARD END OF A CONVENTIONAL SPEAR SHAFT OR THE LIKE IN LIEU OF THE CONVENTIONAL SPEAR HEAD THEREFOR AND TO FIRE A LOADED SHELL UPON IMPACT OF THE SHAFT HEAD WITH A TARGET, SAID SHAFT HEAD COMPRISING BASE MEANS INCLUDING FRONT AND REAR ENDS AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED, AT ITS REAR END, TO THE FORWARD END OF A SPEAR SHAFT, THE FRONT END OF SAID BASE MEANS INCLUDING A SHANK PORTION EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM SAID BASE MEANS, ELONGATED BARREL MEANS INCLUDING FRONT AND REAR ENDS AND DEFINING A SHOT BORE OPENING OUTWARDLY OF THE FRONT END THEREOF AND A SHELL RECEIVING CHAMBER OPENING OUTWARDLY OF THE REAR END THEREOF, SLEEVE MEANS RECIPROCAL ON SAID SHANK PORTION AND INCLUDING A FORWARD END REMOVABLY SECURED IN THE REAR END OF SAID SHELL RECEIVING CHAMBER SLIDABLY MOUNTING 